


Happy Accident

by shopfront



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Accidents, Invisibility, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-21 08:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: To Julian's dismay, his colleagues aren't as helpful as he would like when a minor technical mishap renders him invisible. Garak, however, is only too pleased to offer comfort and support instead.





	Happy Accident

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mimm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimm/gifts).



> Thank you to Sasha for the beta, any remaining mistakes are entirely my own!

“I just don’t understand why you can’t come to Quark’s like you used to instead of spending your evenings with Garak. I don’t need to be able to see you for you to throw darts with me! We can, I don’t know, stand with my hand on your shoulder or something so I know you’re not cheating,” Miles insisted.

Then he turned to gesture expansively, “it’s just-,” and promptly smacked Julian in the face.

“It’s just that you can’t see me,” Julian sighed a few minutes later when the ruckus and confusion had died back down. He’d flailed backwards into a passerby on the Promenade, causing a domino effect of confused stumbling and a rather panicked Miles feeling desperately at the air around him in case he’d knocked Julian out cold.

“Well it’s not like the bloody Cardies have some magical seeing-through-invisibility skill either!” Miles cried, wisely throwing his hands upward this time instead of out.

“Maybe not,” Julian said, shuffling back anyway just to be safe. “But I’m still sick of people forgetting I’m in the room, or sitting on me, or stepping on me, or _accidentally_ _hitting me in the face_. Not to mention the small problem of trying to walk through a crowd or signal for a drink. No, Miles. I’m sorry. But darts are out of the question until Jadzia works out how to reverse this.”

“I still don’t-“

“Garak is extremely paranoid,” Julian said painstakingly slowly. “If you think a little thing like invisibility would stop him from knowing exactly where I am in the room at all times, you’ve clearly not actually met the man.”

Miles huffed. “I suppose,” he said sadly. “I just don’t like-“

“And I don’t care. I'm not going to Quark's tonight, Miles, and that's final.”

*

“I really wouldn’t mind if you spent your spare time in here with me,” Jadzia said earnestly, her eyes gazing imploringly at the bulkhead just to the right of Julian’s head. “You’d be immediately available when I’m ready to test the latest repair, and we could talk.”

“I fidget,” Julian said.

“Well, yes, I suppose we should probably clear a proper space for you so you don’t upset any more instruments but-“

“I also talk too much and I don’t understand most of what you’ve told me you’ve learnt about this device so far, so I’m just distracting you from your work,” Julian said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I appreciate the thought, Jadzia, I do. But regardless of where I wait this out I still want you to fix this as fast as humanoidly possible. It’s not exactly turning out to be a picnic, after all.”

*

“Really, Doctor Bashir, if you won’t stay in the labs to help Dax do her work then-“

“Are you giving me an order, Captain?”

“No,” Sisko said slowly, “but I would encourage you to consider instead spending your downtime with your friends and colleagues.”

Julian frowned, not that there was anybody around who could see it.

“Will you at least think about it, Doctor?”

“Of course, sir,” Julian said reluctantly. “Though I can’t promise you’ll like the conclusion I come to.”

Sisko sighed. “Very well. Dismissed,” he said, gesturing toward the door and turning away to look pensively out of the view panel.

*

“Captain Sisko is worried about you,” Kira announced.

Julian opened his mouth, then paused thoughtfully, and shut again.

“Oh, is that the way you want to play it?” she said with roll of her eyes. “Computer, please locate Doctor Bashir.”

Julian winced when the computer located him as being in the same room as Major Kira. “Sorry, Major, it’s just….”

Kira raised her eyebrows and gestured widely toward the room. “Go on. I can’t see the ridiculous faces you’re probably pulling, so don’t decide to be quiet now for the first time in your life.”

“Really, Major?” Julian asked flatly.

Kira shrugged.

“I just don’t understand why everybody is so determined to keep us apart,” Julian finally said in a rush, huffing dramatically for punctuation. “You all see us having lunch in the replimat every day, and _that_ doesn’t seem to be a problem!

“Yes,” said Kira.

Julian gaped. “Yes what?!”

“Yes, we can see you having lunch,” Kira said, rubbing her temples. “Look, I don’t pretend to understand what you see in him or why you’re willing to trust him. Most of us don’t. But we can see that you’re having a very public, friendly conversation. In public. Where someone will notice if he tries anything suspicious.”

Julian spluttered. “I really don’t think Garak deserves-“

“I know you don’t,” Kira said tiredly. “Just take my word for it when I say that not being able to see you is the reason for all these problems.”

*

“Who’s there?” Odo asked sharply, form shimmering as he coalesced. “Show yourself!”

Julian sighed. “It’s just me, Odo. Again,” he said wearily and then continued down the corridor, leaving Odo to talk to empty air.

*

“You must be tired, my dear,” was the first thing Garak said when he walked through the door that evening.

“How can you possibly know that?” Julian asked with a faint whine in his voice.

“You finally took me up on my offer to key my security to you, _and_ you let yourself in while I was working,” Garak said with a gentle smile, “both of which are things that you have been most aggravatingly insistent about not doing since your accident.”

“I didn’t want to intrude,” Julian muttered.

“My dear Doctor Bashir, I doubt you could ever be an intrusion,” Garak laughed, and then dipped his head in concession. “Unless you are forcing medical attention upon me, of course.”

Then he bustled over to the replicator and began fussing with something Julian couldn’t see. Julian just gave up and let himself meld more deeply with Garak’s chaise. Maybe if he stayed here long enough he could become one with the furniture, instead of just one with the spectrum of light invisible to humanoids.

At least then if someone sat on him, it would be deliberate.

“Perhaps some tea will help,” Garak’s voice came again, close by and even softer this time but still making Julian startle. Unerringly, Garak shifted minutely backward and out of the line of potential collision between teacup and doctor.

Julian sighed again, but this time in relief instead of heavily. “Thank you, Garak. That was very kind of you,” he said, taking the cup from his hands and inhaling the steam with a happy hum.

“It is a small matter,” Garak demurred, leaning forward to drop a kiss on Julian’s forehead, “and of no consequence. I am merely happy to be of assistance.”

With that he turned around and headed back to the replicator, humming happily to himself, while Julian sat stock still on the chaise and stared after him.


End file.
